Soul City: Drangleic
by Mason Tims
Summary: In the Drangleic District of Soul city, the police battle both gangs and corruption in an attempt to save their district from the evil that has plagued the rest of the city. Aaron Chalk, an officer of the Drangleic Police Department, is tasked with finding a mole in the police force. However, he doesn't know the game he's playing, or the strings being pulled. Written with Leider


Soul City: Drangleic

The night blanketed the Drangleic district, the only lights coming from the few working street lamps and the odd apartment window. In the areas lacking both, there was no reprieve until dawn. In the cold and dark, some people flourished however, doing the things now that couldn't be done by day. Crime, vice, prostitution, extortion, all had a place in the cold night of Drangleic district.

And on this dark, cold night, a car sat in the glow of a streetlamp, on a particularly dirty street. In the car, two people were sitting, waiting to spring a trap. They were the odd ones out tonight. Cops rather than criminals, trying to stem the tide of crime that was slowly but surely taking over their district. It was a battle that had come to a stalemate, with drugs and vice slowly pulling ahead. And then, a few years ago, M.A.N.I.T.Y. entered the mix, turning a slow degradation of the district into a full on fall. Overnight, it seemed like everyone was now using this insanely dangerous and addictive substance. And then, of course, people started to O.D. Horror stories of people turned into monstrous, terrifying creatures that no god in their right mind could ever dream up became common place among the officers and the people alike. The drug had become so bad that some of the officers felt it necessary to indulge in it in order to stand a chance against the hyped up, incredibly strong junkies. While officially against regulation, multiple departments in the district gave the drug to the officers free of charge, wanting to get a leg up on the dealers. They didn't care that they were causing cops to become just as dependent on the substance as the addicts themselves, all they wanted was results, no matter what the cost.

And so the question became how to combat the problem effectively. The answer was not clear cut, but the first step was to take down the gangs producing the drug, limiting how much got into the system in the first place. Starting small, the officers would work their way up until eventually being able to nail the gang leaders responsible for the M.A.N.I.T.Y. production. That is why the car was out at night, sitting like a wraith on the dark, lonely street.

…..

Aaron was dead silent, concentrating intently on the puzzle in his mind. It seemed that the car had heated up in the past minute, to the point that he was sweating profusely. The riddle was proving to be insurmountable, even though he poured all of his higher thought processes into finding its solution. His eyes were squeezed shut, and his forehead knotted in intense concentration. Beside him, he heard a chuckle coming from his partner, showing that she didn't think he had a chance.

"Fuck off Luca." He whispered, trying to focus on the riddle and not on his snickering partner. Her response was to laugh louder, much to his chagrin.

"I finally got you Aaron!" His partner, Lucatiel said, and though his eyes were closed, he could practically see the Cheshire grin that she had on her smug face. They had played this game since they were kids growing up in the lower Drangleic district, near the border with Boletaria. They would challenge each other with riddles, trying to stump the other person. Neither had succeeded yet, hence the intense concentration and the clear joy on Lucatiel's face.

"C'mon man, it isn't even that hard." Her sarcastic mocking was just grating on Aaron's nerves, and he almost slapped the back of her head. After all, he reasoned for a moment, sexism didn't really apply to best friends. "Think about it, what word starts and ends with 'e' and has a single letter in it?"

"I AM thinking about it, you smug douche!"

Lucatiel was about to go into another fit of laughter when she suddenly stopped, seeing their target lurking in an ally way to their front-left, with only the light from a street lamp giving him away. Lightly tapping on Aaron's leg, she pointed to their man, and now both watched him in rapt attention.

He was a small, mousey man, which both could see even though he wore a large, bulky coat and equally bulky cargo pants. He was white, with a pale, unshaven face that looked like it hadn't seen the sun in a few weeks. Beneath the stubble was a gaunt, weathered face that held a peculiar look of arrogance, with a small amount of desperation laying just below the surface. It was the face of a man who would survive, no matter what. If he had to beg, fight, run, hide, or kill, he would to save his own skin.

He would make a great informant.

"There you are, Jimmy." Aaron said under his breath, forgetting about the riddle. Jimmy 'the spider' Flan was a small time career criminal, who had fallen in with The Lords. The Lords controlled the entire M.A.N.I.T.Y. business in Drangleic, everything from the creation to the distribution of the substance. Jimmy was a mid level drug dealer for the organization, supplying the drug to the businessmen and workers who needed a fix and a way to get through their day. He was perfect for Aaron and Lucatiel's needs, as any lower, he would be selling to the homeless and strung out, any higher and he would be to smart and skittish for them to get near discreetly. Now, all they had to do was flip him.

Aaron had gotten some information from a different informant that Jimmy was going to be here selling to a few local dock workers who needed their daily fix. Their normal supplier had 'disappeared, just like every other non-Lord dealer this side of Drangleic, leaving only Jimmy and his constitutes as their source for M.A.N.I.T.Y.

They watched him for a few minutes, waiting, until the dock workers finally showed up. They were both big and burley, evidence of their work lifting huge crates all day long. For these people, M.A.N.I.T.Y. was their way of getting through their day. They needed it to keep up with their work loads, and were both probably reluctant users. After all, if they stopped, they would probably be fired.

Once the dock workers showed, things moved quickly. Aaron and Lucatiel had gone over the plan multiple times, and had it down. Aaron would exit the car and disperse the dock workers, hopefully making them run once he showed his badge. If Jimmy tried to run, Lucatiel would circle around in her car, cutting him off and giving Aaron the chance to catch him. Afterwards, it was just a matter of persuading Jimmy to flip.

Opening the door, he nodded to Lucatiel before stepping out into the cold night air. He was out of uniform, and was dressed in Jeans, work boots, a stocking cap, and a dark coat. The coat, made of light leather, shielded him from the wind and was just long enough to hide his pistol and badge on his belt. Slamming the car door, he put his hands in his pockets and walked down the street, directly opposite of Jimmy and the workers. As he passed, they eyed him warily, and when he turned and walked straight towards them, they started to show real fear that they had been discovered.

As he crossed the street, Jimmy brought the two workers close and spoke to them hurriedly, likely telling them to play dumb. Aaron smiled to himself, betting that they would be gone as soon as he flashed his badge. Once he reached the curb, he stopped dead and stared at the group, hoping to make them uneasy. It was working, as the two workers started to get very shifty, while Jimmy positioned himself behind them. Deciding that enough was enough Aaron spoke to the two workers first.

"Get lost you two." He commanded as he pulled his badge from his belt and showed it. "I'm only here for the weasel."

He was expecting immediate retreat, and so was surprised when both stood their ground, their fear turning into anger.

"Sorry _pig,_" Jimmy said with a sarcastic smirk. "I made them a deal. If you were a cop, I told 'em that if they break your legs and throw you in the bay, they each get a month's supply free."

_Probably should have anticipated that. _Aaron chastised himself as he watched Jimmy turn to leave. The two burly dock workers started to advance on him, intent on getting that month's supply. Stepping into the ally, he waved behind him, giving Lucatiel the signal to move. He didn't look back to see the car move, only heard the engine start and the sound of it going down the block. With the problem of Jimmy temporarily shelved, all he had to deal with were the two giant men who wanted to kill him.

"I won't bring you in if you walk away now." He said, wanting to give them a chance. Their only response was to come faster, ready to begin. When they didn't yield, he debated drawing his gun, but decided against it. He wasn't going to kill them for being desperate, plus that would have been more paperwork anyway.

The one on the left came first. He was fatter than his counterpart, with a thick red beard covering his pudgy face. He was dressed in overalls, a work shirt and boots, just like his partner. His meaty fist came right at Aaron's face, only to meet the side of his for arm as it was deflected. Aaron then returned the favor with a punch to the man's fatty stomach, sending the man backwards. Not finished, Aaron punched at him again, but was stopped by the man's dark haired compatriot, who shoved Aaron into a wall. The bigger man then swung a hook at Aaron's head, which Aaron narrowly evaded by ducking down. Before the bigger man could react, Aaron countered with a couple strikes to the abdomen, pushing the bruiser back against the opposite brick wall of the ally. Seeing that he had a moment before the dark haired one recovered, he went for red beard, who was coming at him again. This time he struck first, feinting with a left jab, causing red beard to drop his guard and allowing Aaron to connect with a massive hook to the jaw, putting the man down for good.

The punch, however, had left his right side open for the dark haired one to strike, and he felt a massive blow hit his right kidney. Aaron had learned long ago some of the truths of fighting, and one of the most important was to expect to get hit, so it isn't as much of a surprise when it comes. Therefore, he was able to recover much more quickly than a normal person. Turning, he was met with the massive hands of the dark haired worker. They reached around his throat and lifted him off of the ground. He felt himself slam into a wall as he tried desperately to escape the man's steel grip. It was no use, and he felt himself beginning to suffer the effects of not enough oxygen getting to his brain. With no other alternatives, he straightened his fingers and jabbed, nailing the dock worker in the eye. The dock worker immediately let go of him, hands going to his now blinded eye. Now on the ground, Aaron seized the moment. Lowering his shoulder, he launched himself into the larger man, sending him back against the wall. The blow knocked the wind out of the man, which Aaron took advantage of by lifting the man off of the ground and slamming him down, back first. The man's head hit the ground with a sickening thunk, and Aaron knew that he was unconscious as well.

He took a moment, leaning against the wall of the garbage strewn ally, before remembering about Jimmy. Cursing himself, he took off down the narrow ally, hoping to catch him. Turning the corner, however, he saw the man, now lying on the ground handcuffed, alongside Lucatiel's car. Lucatiel was standing over him, looking bored. When she spotted him, she waved him over, and then stomped on Jimmy's back for good measure.

"It took you long enough." She said as he walked closer. She was staring at Jimmy with a smirk, who was now sitting against a wall with a few new bruises and scrapes. "Look at what I found just lying around."

"Fuck you bitch!" Jimmy yelled, scooting away from Lucatiel. "She hit me with her god damned car!"

Aaron looked at Lucatiel, who merely shrugged and mumbled something about him evading the police. Grinning, he walked over to jimmy, picked him up by his shirt, and threw him into the opposite wall.

"Oh, you must have tripped." He said nonchalantly as he walked over to jimmy again, who was now doing his best imitation of a snake and trying to literally slither away.

"Now come back here Jimmy, we need to have a little chit chat." Aaron said as he lifted Jimmy off the ground and pushed him forcefully against a wall.

"Ok, ok." Jimmy screamed, scared that he was about to get the beating of his life, and thrown in jail to boot. "We can work something out! You want money? Drugs? What?"

"How about information?" Lucatiel said as she walked around Aaron. Jimmy immediately shook his head no, causing Aaron to 'accidentally' drop him while his knee was coming up, striking him in the abdomen. Afterwards, he fell to the ground, doubled over. Trying to help, Aaron 'kindly' grabbed him by his hand cuffed arms and jerked him up again, 'accidentally' putting a lot of strain onto his wrists.

"This doesn't have to be hard, Jimmy." Aaron said, leveling his face with Jimmy's. "All you will have to do is give us information when we ask, and you don't get put in jail with Creighton when we come for him."

Aaron wasn't expecting Jimmy to laugh, so when he did, it threw him for a moment. It was sarcastic and choked, and part of Aaron worried that he might have accidentally put the man in shock.

"You really think its that easy?" Jimmy said, spitting the words and some blood into Aaron's face. "Creighton isn't just my boss. He's a fucking animal man. I talk, and he finds out? I couldn't run far enough or fast enough to get away. And he has ears everywhere, including So, no thanks. Just take me to jail."

"Alright." Aaron said, defeated. He picked up Jimmy and started walking to the car. "Come on Lucatiel. Let's go. Let's go ring him up. Make sure to tell every cop you know that he's our informant."

"Wait what?" Jimmy asked, mortified.

"Yeah. Make sure that everyone knows that the raid last week that managed to bust up that M.A.N.I.T.Y. plant was all made possible because of our upstanding citizen here, and that we are putting him in public holding for his protection."

"NO!" Jimmy screamed, terrified. He wouldn't last a day.

Finished with his game, Aaron gave Jimmy a shove to the ground. He landed face first, scraping his chin. Aaron, not finished, kicked him over and kneeled down beside him.

"You need to understand Jimmy, I ain't asking. Either you help us, or we throw you to the wolves." He stopped for a moment, taking an envelope out of Jimmy's pocket. Opening it, he saw that it was full of coins. He tilted it over and dumped the coins all over Jimmy's face. He then took his time, picking up seven of the coins and putting them back into the envelope, which he then pocketed. Motioning to Lucatiel, she went to un-cuff Jimmy, who was now crying on the ground. Once un-cuffed, he still laid on the ground, sniveling. Finally, Aaron withdrew a card with his contact information on it and put it forcefully onto his chest.

"I expect to hear about something soon." Finished, he stood and walked to Lucatiel's car, getting into the passenger's side. He was soon joined by Lucatiel, who immediately accelerated away.

"What about the two goons that attacked you?" She asked, not taking her eyes off of the road.

"They were desperate, and they learned their lesson. No point in bringing them in." Aaron said dismissively, looking out of the window. There were a few minutes of silence as Aaron dissected what he had done. He hated having to be so tough and heartless with Jimmy, but he had no choice. They needed something on Creighton and the Lords, otherwise they were screwed.

And the silence would have continued had Aaron not come back to the riddle. What starts and ends with 'e', and only has one letter in it. He thought about it more, lightly fingering the envelope that he had put into his coat pocket. The envelope that held the coins inside it. That could hold a letter if he wanted to reuse it.

It came to him in a flash, and he started to jump around with joy in the car, the events of the past ten minutes no longer bothering him. When Lucatiel looked at him in concern, he pointed and laughed at her before saying, "The answer is envelope you bitch!"

"GOD DAMNIT!" She screamed, punching her steering wheel in anger. And then they both laughed long and hard, to the point that they had to pull over and get a hold of themselves.

"Alright, my turn." Aaron said once he had stopped laughing. Thinking for a few minutes, he came up with one that was absolutely depressing and brooding, Lucatiel's favorite type. "Alright. It started well, but then was diseased by other things until it became a shell. There isn't a lot of hope for it, but it is still crusaded for by those who go by thankless."

"Hmm. Your none existent love life?"

Aaron gave her a look that could have made even the most hyped up druggy run in terror. All it did to her was make her go into another fit of laughter, causing her to pull over again. The laughter only intensified when she looked again, and he was still staring lasers into her.

"The answer was Drangleic, but that one also works." He deadpanned, and then succumbed to her infectious laugh and joined in. The rest of the drive was spent in comfortable silence, with both thinking about personal things. Lucatiel played her favorite song at that time; something called "Don't fear the reaper", and was singing to it the entire trip. Aaron, meanwhile, stared at his city, dark and foreboding in the night. But in the day, it looked like anywhere else. The buildings were brick, with window shops displaying items to all of the giddy window shoppers. Kids played in the parks, and, when the sun could break through all the smog and smoke from the factories, much of the district was truly beautiful and peaceful. It was a very convincing lie. But it wasn't the district's true face. The other side came out during the night. The vagrants, prostitutes, dealers, and the gangs collecting their pay and dishing out their punishments for disloyalty. He found it kind of funny how a place could change so drastically in a few hours. Still, he didn't consider Drangleic lost. In fact, he knew for a fact that there was still good people here, and they would rise again soon. Until then, he would be doing what he could to stop the parasites that preyed on his district. And that included the Lords, with Creighton occupying the very top of his shit list. The man was a monster in every sense of the word, and smart as well. He practically owned the underworld of Drangleic, and not a coin changed hands without him knowing. His true feat, however, was keeping the gangs of the other districts out of Drangleic, keeping the entire place for himself. Aaron could not help but respect the man's intelligence. He would fall though, Aaron knew that for sure.

It seemed like no time had passed when they reached his apartment. Shaking his head, he looked over to Lucatiel and gave his friend a goodbye. "I'll catch to tomorrow in the office. Later." He offered his fist, and she fist bumped him accordingly. Stepping out, he walked to his apartment building, waving to his friend.

The building was shoddy, the apartments cheap and dingy. Stepping through the door, he was met with the familiar smell of musty carpet and rotted wood. As he walked towards the elevator, he was stopped by a shrill, high pitched yell, meaning the Verny was still up. Verny was his land lord, and a very annoying one at that. He was a small, skinny man who made up for his size by being as loud as possible.

"Chalk! You give me rent money, or you get out!"

"Easy old man." Aaron responded through gritted teeth. He retrieved the envelope from his pocket and threw it onto the ground in front of the old man. "That should cover me for this month as well as lasts. Good night." He didn't look back to see if the old man gave him the finger or not, but guessed that he had.

Tapping the '9' button on the elevator, he leaned back and relaxed as he road the elevator to his apartment.

Reaching his floor, he slowly walked to his apartment, suddenly fatigued from the day. As he put his key into his lock, however, he heard the door behind him click. Turning, he was met with the smiling face of his friend Shelby, who whooped and ran to him, hugging him tightly. She was wearing a black hoody, blue jeans, and converse shoes. Her normally red hair was dyed black, with red tips on her bangs. Her hair was parted to her right, showing her green eyes. She was every bit the punk girl that he had come to know, and she made him smile every day. He smiled as he hugged her back gently, nearly covering her with his arms. He was not large by any means, but she was skinny and short enough that if somebody had looked from behind him, they would have had no clue she was there.

"How ya doing, ass hat?" She greeted with her usual profanity as she let go and stepped back. She was definitely a punk, which Aaron was a fan of. She was more honest and upfront than most 'normal' people, and her appearance reflected that. She didn't really care about what people thought of her, which Aaron could agree with.

"Pretty good. And yourself?"

"Oh, I am just lovely." She said in a voice that held both a sarcastic and funny edge as she twirled around the hallway, making Aaron smile. "Just got back from Monumental Tower a bit ago. You should see the computer they have me working on, it's fucking AMAZING!"

"I bet it is, nerd." He said, resulting in the girl to punch him playfully in the arm. She actually was only a couple years behind him, so the term 'girl' didn't really aply to her age. Rather, it was a reflection of her refreshing youthfulness. She had been through a lot, and still she seemed to constantly be a light to him. She was a good friend.

"Is Nexus still treating you well?" He asked, curious.

"Of course. You think I could stay there if they weren't? Shelby ain't gonna take no shit!" She said in a mock ghetto voice, making him smile. He had gotten her the job at Monumental Tower through an old friend who worked security. They had been putting out feelers for anybody who had any computer experience, so he had recommended Shelby. She was the techiest person he knew, and she hadn't disappointed. She had been forced to sign a confidentiality agreement with the company, so even he didn't know what she was doing. Still, she seemed comfortable, and that was enough for him.

"Good. Well, I'll see ya in the morning." He said as he turned to open his apartment. When he opened the door, however, she burst in front of him, taking a look at his messy, dingy apartment.

"Aaron Chalk!" She exclaimed in mock anger, reminding him of a flustered mother goose. "This apartment is filthy mister! Didn't you learn anything from your mother?"

"I guess not." Aaron chuckled to himself as he watched her buzz around the room, picking up garbage and dirty dishes. She had been over enough to know where everything went, and busied herself cleaning for a few minutes while he put his coat on the hanger and took off his gun and badge. After putting them in the cabinet, he flicked the light on in his kitchen and sat down at his table. The table, made of old wood plank, already held the tumblers and whiskey, and he poured himself a shot. He wasn't a drunk, and would never allow himself to go down that road. In fact, he hated practically all alcohol. However, he didn't mind a shot or two of whiskey after a long day. As he lifted his head back, he noticed Shelby sit down beside him, waiting. When he finished, he poured himself and his friend each a large shot.

"To the district, and your doomed crusade to get it back to normal." Shelby said sarcastically as she raised her glass.

"Here, here." Aaron agreed as they clinked glasses and drank.

"Yuck." Shelby said, making a face. She wasn't really a fan of alcohol either, and hadn't drank very much at all in the last couple of years.

"Soooo…" She said, changing the subject. "What did you do today, oh mister great and righteous detective?"

"Well, first I did paper work, like normal. Checked on a couple of bodies that washed up down by the docks a couple weeks ago, no progress. Interrogated a gang member that we are pretty sure knocked over a couple liquor stores last week. Schools must be getting better, because he had a very extensive vocabulary. I even had to look up a couple of the insults. Then got to sit in a car with Luca for a few hours before beating up a couple goons who wanted to get some free M.A.N.I.T.Y., and to top it off, had to black mail a drug pusher into becoming an informant. That one wasn't pretty."

"Who's the informant?"

"Jimmy the spider. Know him?" Normally, he didn't tell anyone even minute details of his day, but Shelby was special. He had absolute trust in her, and vice versa.

"Yeah, I remember him. Don't feel bad, guy likes to rough up every girl ha manages to snake himself into." She said dismissively. She had been on the streets for awhile before meeting Aaron, and he still came to her from time to time for advice.

"Thanks. Helps."

"Oh, I almost forgot. I made you some dinner." Shelby said as she got up to go to her apartment.

"You didn't need to!" Aaron called, knowing it was useless. She only worked at Nexus a few hours a day, so she needed to do other things. Plus, she felt like she owed him, and he rather she paid through some food and company than money.

While she was gone, he stared at a wall and thought about Shelby, and how they had met. It had been about four years before. He had still been a patrolman then, 24 and a real stand up officer. One day, he got a call about a domestic disturbance, so he and Lucatiel went to check it out. It was on the third floor, but he could hear the screaming and banging halfway up the first flight of stairs. Once they got to the room, they kicked in the door to find some duchebag hopped up on a M.A.N.I.T.Y. overdose putting a girl through a wall. Aaron didn't even hesitate to pull the trigger, putting one round after another into the man, who had become incredibly muscular due to the drug. The bullets went through, and would undoubtedly kill him eventually.

However, the girl didn't have eventually.

Thinking quickly, he ordered Lucatiel to get the girl to safety while he engaged the monster. It seemed all he could do was distract the thing, as it hit like a truck and didn't seem to feel any of Aaron's blows. Eventually, it managed to get a decent hit on Aaron, who could do nothing but buckle to the floor. Believing his opponent finished, the thing looked for its plaything, and saw her and Lucatiel running down the stairs. It began running after them , but as soon as it reached the railing, was tackled from behind by Aaron. Aaron didn't think about how this would cause him and the thing to fall three stories. He had been operating on auto pilot, the thought of saving the girl and Lucatiel the only thing driving him.

And so they fell, the beast first, until they hit with a splat. He had a few broken bones, the boyfriend had a smashed skull, Lucatiel had to get a replacement partner for a few weeks, and the girl got a hospital trip, a dead boyfriend, and plenty of mental scars. Honestly, he never would have guessed that they would have been friends, but events after that kind of forced them to.

He was shaken from his memories as Shelby sauntered back into the room, putting a steel pan in front of him. Removing the top, his mouth watered at the sight. His favorite dinner lay before him, in all of its well balanced glory: teriyaki stir fry.

"You made this for me?" He asked, bewildered. She nodded, smiling wide. He immediately dug in, saying how great it was between bights. The different flavors played on his tongue, making him savor every bite.

"You. Are. Awesome!" He said, finishing the plate he had put the glorious food on. Her only response was to laugh and say something about it being no trouble. Once he finished, they talked late into the night, until eventually she went back to her apartment, and he went to bed. As he lay there, belly full and satisfied, he smiled, and slowly went to a peaceful sleep.


End file.
